Chapter 441 - 440: What-If: Did the Big Shots Vie for Favor Today? 9

Chapter 441: Chapter 440: What-If: Did the Big Shots Vie for Favor Today? 9

Wang Xiaotao’s home was near the alley Shi Lan had just come from. He usually wandered around the neighborhood after school, looking for scraps to collect.

His home did look a bit run-down, and only his grandmother lived there with him. But while it was small, it had everything they needed and felt very warm.

Her grandson usually came home late, so Wang Xiaotao’s grandmother would always have dinner ready and wait for him at the door.

He was late again today, and his grandmother didn’t think anything of it at first. But when she noticed her grandson walking with a slight limp, she asked worriedly, "Xiaotao, what happened to your leg?"

Not wanting to worry his grandmother, Wang Xiaotao lied, "I just took a little tumble on my way back."

"Oh, my dear grandson, should we go see a doctor?"

His grandmother was very concerned, but Wang Xiaotao quickly shook his head. "It’s nothing, Grandma. I’ll just put some ointment on it."

After saying that, he carefully held up the cat in his arms. "Grandma, I’m thinking of keeping this cat."

His grandmother squinted at it and chuckled happily. "Alright. We can certainly spare a bowl of food for a little kitty."

"This cat... it’s certainly unique. It doesn’t even have any fur. But as long as my dear grandson likes it, that’s all that matters."

The grandmother offered a tactful compliment. Shi Lan covered her face with her paws. ’At least she didn’t call me ugly to my face.’

Wang Xiaotao explained the cat’s situation. He now considered her his lucky star. Because of her, the money he’d made from selling scraps hadn’t been stolen, and he’d even earned some errand money from the two young masters.

He earnestly told his grandmother that the little cat was sick, and a look of pity appeared in her eyes. She pulled her grandson along, saying, "Come, come. It’s so late. You and the little kitty must be hungry. Let’s eat."

Kitty had been the name of a stray cat his grandmother had once cared for, one that Wang Xiaotao had helped feed. So he did, in fact, have experience raising cats.

But later, that Kitty had given birth to a litter, and then she’d carried them off and disappeared. They never knew where she went.

Hearing his grandmother call the cat in his arms "Kitty" now, he was afraid of bringing up sad memories, so he didn’t explain further. He just told her that the little cat had just had some rice water and couldn’t eat too much yet.

The veterinarian had specifically instructed him that the cat was malnourished from excessive starvation and shouldn’t be overfed. For the next few days, it was best to feed her easily digestible liquid food to avoid upsetting her stomach.

After dinner, Wang Xiaotao found a cardboard box and carefully made a bed for Shi Lan. The box bed was simple, but he lined it with several old pieces of clothing he couldn’t bear to throw away, then crumbled up some foam for a base layer, making it reasonably comfortable.

Shi Lan lay inside, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Wang Xiaotao studying diligently. Her gaze swept over the simple, shabby room, and she sighed silently.

’One nap turned me from a human into a cat. I finally managed to start living the life of a rich man’s cat, and then another nap knocked me right back to square one—or even worse.’

’It’s all sleep’s fault. I’m starting to get scared of falling asleep.’

But her body was too weak right now. Finding herself in a safe environment for once, she was overcome by an uncontrollable drowsiness and closed her eyes.

When she woke up, nothing had changed.

She was still in the cardboard box.

Cats are generally nocturnal. When Shi Lan woke up, it was still twilight outside, but there was already movement in the room. She stretched lazily and felt a slight weight on her body. Turning her head, she saw a small piece of clothing draped over her back, probably put there by Wang Xiaotao during the night.

Shi Lan’s heart warmed. ’Being a cat is pretty terrible, but at least none of the people I’ve met are cruel animal abusers. It’s a silver lining to this whole mess.’

Wang Xiaotao was now a high school senior, with the college entrance exams just a few months away. He cherished his opportunity to study.

To save on boarding fees, he had to walk to school early every day. He couldn’t participate in the evening self-study sessions, so he came home to study diligently on his own.

As for tuition and other fees, he relied on the academic subsidy awarded to the top three students in his class.

But today, he got up ten minutes earlier than usual. He had made a bowl of thin porridge specially for Shi Lan, and had some himself for breakfast.

After finishing the porridge, he hesitated for a moment. Worried that his grandmother wouldn’t be able to look after the cat, he put her in his backpack and left for school.

Afraid the cat might misbehave at school, he spent three yuan on a bottle of milk along the way, planning to use it to keep her quiet.

Shi Lan stayed in his backpack, feeling its gentle jostling, her eyes peeking curiously through the gap in the zipper.

She didn’t mind going out. After all, she needed to find an opportunity to build a rapport with those two young masters and think about her future long-term.

It wasn’t that Shi Lan looked down on Wang Xiaotao’s poor household or couldn’t endure hardship. It was that this feline body was too frail and sickly. It needed medical treatment that required a charitable donation from the two young masters, something Wang Xiaotao’s family certainly couldn’t afford right now.

Shi Lan was quiet the entire way, and Wang Xiaotao breathed a sigh of relief.

He was the first to arrive at the classroom. He gently stroked Shi Lan’s head and whispered, "Little cat, please, I’m begging you, don’t make a sound today."

With that, he coaxingly fed her a little milk before carefully stuffing the backpack containing the cat into his desk.

Wang Xiaotao attended Capital First Middle School. The senior class had a total of eleven classes. The first three were experimental classes for top students, classes four through seven were for average students, and the ones after that were standard. However, anyone who could get into the First Middle School was generally considered a student with potential.

The exception was Class 11. It was what you might call a "gilded" class, filled with the children of families who had made "contributions" to the school. In short, it was the rich kids’ class. Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng were in that class, while Wang Xiaotao was in Class 7.

He was actually quite glad to be in his class. It allowed him to consistently place in the top three and receive the school’s academic subsidy each semester. That would be much more difficult in one of the experimental classes.

Wang Xiaotao began his morning reading seriously. After a while, the other students of Class 7 began to trickle in.

As the room filled up, Wang Xiaotao kept glancing worriedly into his desk, terrified the little cat would get out. Pets weren’t allowed in class, and if a teacher found out, he’d be in a lot of trouble.

Thankfully, the little cat was very quiet. Even his deskmate didn’t notice anything unusual.

With about seven or eight minutes left before the late bell, Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng appeared, swaggering into the doorway of Class 7. Their arrogant, scrutinizing eyes swept over the students inside.

Everyone at school knew who these two were. That, combined with the fact that they looked like they were itching for a fight, made the students of Class 7 hold their breath. Finally, the pair spotted Wang Xiaotao, who was focused on his reading. They walked straight to his desk, tapped on it, and asked, "Wang Xiaotao, where’s the cat?"

The sudden sound of their voices made Wang Xiaotao jump, but after yesterday’s encounter, he wasn’t as afraid of them anymore.

It was his classmates, however, who were sweating with anxiety for him. The Class 7 monitor, a tall and sturdy boy, worriedly edged closer. Mustering his courage, he stammered, "Jiang... Jiang, Mu... what... what do you want with Wang Xiaotao? He’s a good student! He wouldn’t have stolen your cat!"